Pune, September 11: FROM driving on the rugged roads of the city in his khakhi uniform to checking tickets to being responsible for the recruitment and training of Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) drivers, he has done it all. But the ace in the pack in the 20-year-long service of former PMT driver, Muralidhar Lonkar has been the book he has churned out based on his experience titled Vahak-chalak Maargadarshika, the hand-book that seeks to serve as a guide to other PMT drivers on safe driving.

Lonkar who wrote the booklet in 2004 recalls, “There were hundreds of people to train in one batch and hence as per my senior’s request, I came out with the book so that it would be easier to train the newcomers. Further there were many accidents occurring at that point of time and that motivated me to write on the dos and donts for drivers.”

The twenty pages booklet highlights tips on safe driving, along with the most common causes of accidents and the precautions to be taken to prevent them. Lonkar, who boasts of a clear driving record without any injury to anyone or damage to any bus throughout his career has been honoured by the PMT for this achievement. “While driving, drivers need to be in a cool frame of mind and focus on the road. They should not get stressed or distracted. As far as possible they should avoid interacting with the passengers too ensure that their focus is retained,’’ adds Lonkar.

Significantly the driver-cum-writer points out that though all drivers know what needs to be done in case of an accident — inform the police, PMT officials and take the injured victim to the nearest hospital — he invariably flees the spot fearing public wrath.

However Lonkar also blames the public in large, the state of the roads in the city and improper engines of the vehicles they drive, for the frequent accidents. “The other private vehicle owners and autorickshaws often break traffic rules by cutting lanes and overtaking the buses. 80 per cent of the accidents are caused due to this indiscipline.”

About 1,000 copies of Lonkar’s booklet were circulated amongst the PMT employees and did meet with a good response when he was on the job as a training inspector. “I am very happy that the book was appreciated by the seniors and benefits the trainees,” sums up Lonkar. Although the PMT officials are all praises for the book, Deepak Pardeshi, PRO of PMT said there are no plans of officially using the book in the current training. Pardeshi says, “It is good that Lonkar who was also trained under us has come up with a book which gives useful instructions for drivers. We have not opposed or restricted any of our drivers from using the booklet as it is for their well being.”

Lonkar’s tips for PMT drivers
* Check all the mechanical parts such as the front mirror, head lights, horn and so on of the bus before driving
* Focus on the roads and avoid interacting with passengers and commuters
* Keep your cool
* Avoid speeding and breaking signals
* Keep to the bus lanes in front of the bus stop
* Contact the police and PMT officials incase of an accident instead of fleeing from the spot